Let me tell you a Story
by say-chan
Summary: APOLOGYYY! YOHNNA Yoh has had enough of Anna. He then decides to pay a visit to his grandfather to try and break off their engagement but he ends up realizing that there's more to Anna than the cold itako. Please R&R!
1. In Keeping Secrets

Let me tell you a Story

by: say-chan

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Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or any of its beautiful characters, so please don't sue me. Please R&R! First attempt in writing a Yohnna. Spare me the flames. Credits to my Oneechan, she did half of his. Now to make it happen.

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Chapter One : In Keeping Secrets

_ you love me but you don't know who i am, so let me go, just let me go... _

_---_

"I really don't know how to cope up with her anymore!"

The young shaman threw both his hands on the back of his head and let himself free-fall on the shiny hard floor behind him. A bucket was beside him and inside the said bucket was a big brush and a wet towel.

"But, Yoh-dono..."

The guardian spirit suddenly appeared on spirit-ball mode, hovering above him. "What will you do when-"

"Oh Yoh, I'm home...", came a singsong voice, almost taunting, from the open door behind him.

"Aaaaahh-- Anna!", he quickly stood up from his comfortable position, causing the bucket of water to spill all over the floor.

The footsteps came nearer and the young shaman, with his reliable guardian spirit, now in full form, were panicking, trying to fix up the mess.

But this act was to no avail.

The owner of the voice was now in front of the shaman, who was on the floor, shirt off, wiping the floor with the damp cloth that was his shirt.

"What a mess! What have you done now, Yoh!"

The shaman turned to his side and his _reliable_ Amidamaru was gone in an instant, obviously terrified by this 'Anna'.

"B-But A-Anna- I-I w-was-"

"Save it, Yoh. Now, quit whining, fix this mess, make me some lunch and do the laundry, you slacker! And after you do that, 100 laps around the village, double the weights, 500 push-ups and 300 sit-ups all before dinner!"

"But Anna-", came his reply.

"I said can it, Asakura. Now go," she replied, coldly as she turned away from him.

"Stupid A-" he muttered but he was forced to bite his tongue when Anna's head peeked from the door frame.

"Yes, Yoh, you were saying?"

"N-Nothing, Anna," he replied, scratching his head and starting to get up. Her head then disappeared from the frame and as Yoh was about to stand up completely, he stepped on a bar of soap that didn't have to be in that place at that time and fell, causing three of four lumps to form over his head.

"Oh man, this is gonna be a long day," he muttered, standing up once more and dusting dirt off his pants. He took the bucket by the handle and trudged his way to the bathroom to start another hour or so of cleaning the house.

Yoh watched as the water from the tap slowly filled with water. He turned the tap off when the bucket was half-full.

He passed by the living room on his way to the kitchen. The sliding door was slightly ajar and Yoh heard melancholic music from the soap opera being shown on the TV. He gazed at Anna, who was lying on her side on the floor, probably eating cookies and watching the program intently. The thought of cookies caused his stomach to grumble loudly. Sighing, he went to the kitchen to start his chores.

Yoh dropped a wet rag onto the floor and started with the floor, which was, in his opinion, still squeaky clean from yesterday's cleaning. He thought of telling this to Anna but he knew that instead of the sympathy he would expect her to give, he'd probably receive another punch on the face.

He started scrubbing. He worked with such speed that in no time, the floors were glistening like crystals in the sunlight. Amidamaru appeared in spirit ball mode and gazed at his master admiringly.

"I'm impressed Yoh-dono. You finished cleaning this in such a short time!"

"Uh, well..." Yoh began, sweat dropping, but was suddenly cut off when he heard Anna's voice from the corridor.

"Yoh, you still have a lot of chores to do and I'll let you do more if you think of resting before you finish them all."

Yoh stiffened and stuffed the rag into the bucket. Holding the bucket by the handle, he zoomed into the bathroom, quickly changed the dirty water and proceeded with his next task.

---

Anna gazed at the clock. It was almost ten in the evening. She poured herself a glass of water and after drinking, she placed the empty cup on the sink. On her way to her room, she saw Yoh coming out from the bathroom. He looked at her and she looked away and as she stepped into her room, she closed the door behind her.

She leaned back against the door and inhaled sharply. She could hear Yoh's footsteps approaching, and it suddenly came to halt. He was standing outside her room. She knew he was looking at the door to her room, she could feel his intense gaze, which seemed to pierce through the wooden barrier that separated them. Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

"Goodnight, Anna." Yoh's muffled voice came. She felt him smile. And as she laid down her futon and pulled the covers towards her body, the itako let out the breath she was keeping all the while.

---

"Hey, Yoh!"

"Oh, hey Manta!"

"You ready for school?" he asked as they waited for Anna on the front porch.

"Am I ever?", Yoh replied, sarcastically as Anna went out the door. They began walking towards the school and Manta told Yoh about his trip to the Tokyo Art Museum.

"And there were these really great artworks! You should have seen it. Maybe we could go see it in the weekend or something," Manta said with a glimmer in his eyes. Yoh nodded with a smile.

"That would be nice," he replied.

"Yoh doesn't have time for that, Manta. You know that he should focus all his energy on training for the Shaman tournament," Anna said. Manta sweat dropped.

Yoh thought that he would be better off if he kept his mouth shut. Manta was thinking of the same thing.

The long walk to school progressed without any of them uttering a single word. The silence was cut by the sound of an approaching school bus. Anna was about to take a step when she felt something sticky attach itself on the sole of her shoe. She lifted her foot and saw an elongated pink object stretching from the ground to her shoe. Anna sighed exasperatedly.

Yoh became aware that Anna was not walking in step with him. He halted, looked back, and saw Anna trying to remove something from her shoe. "What is it, Anna?"

"I stepped on bubblegum," Anna replied simply as she tried disentangle her shoe from the sticky substance. She exerted a bit of effort on this which caused her to lose her balance. Yoh caught her by the arm.

"Careful," Yoh said with an amused smile. Anna freed herself from Yoh's grip and dusted her skirt. Yoh scratched his head in confusion. Anna sure has funny ways of showing her thanks.

Manta watched them together and he couldn't help but smile. Yoh and Anna have completely different personalities, but like they say in science, opposites attract. He was about to make his way to them when he saw the school bus approaching with great speed. Anna was standing near the edge of the sidewalk. Manta looked at them in horror.

"Watch out!"

Thanks to his quick reflexes, Yoh was able to pull Anna towards him before she got blown away by the bus' speed.

Unfortunately, her skirt wasn't so lucky. Anna looked down only to see her neatly-pressed and clean skirt now covered in mud, a lot of mud.

Yoh could see Anna's fist clenching tightly around her stained skirt. "Uh-oh," he said to himself, taking a step back. "This isn't good..."

And, well, in fact, it really wasn't.

Anna threw her bag at Yoh (which he did catch with both hands) and started walking- running incredibly fast towards the evil school bus.

"A-Anna! Wait!" Yoh called on impulse and threw both his and Anna's bags on Manta, who was instantly crushed by the weight of both, as he ran after her.

Yoh knew his speed increased because of all the training he had been doing, but apparently, it wasn't enough to catch up with the itako, who was sending a cloud of dust on his face.

"Anna! Wait up!" he called out. But his call fell on deaf ears. Anna's eyes were spewing fire as she chased after the bus and amazingly caught up with it. She dashed to the road and stopped in front of the path of the speeding vehicle.

Yoh almost fell face-first to the ground when he saw Anna's exact location. His eyes widened in horror.

"ANNA!"

The sound of screeching tires sent the birds flying for their dear life. The bus stopped merely inches away from Anna's petite and unmoving body.

The doors of the bus opened and the bus driver stormed out of the vehicle, apparently mad. "What the hell are you doing, lady! You want to get yourself killed!"

"Apparently not," Anna replied. She moved from her current position and stared up to the bus driver, who was at least a foot taller than she was.

"What do you want, little girl?" the driver asked as he wiped a disgustingly dirty towel across his forehead.

Anna stared at him for what seemed like hours before pointing at her mud-stained skirt.

"You stained my skirt with mud," she said simply. The bus driver contorted his face in a weird way to show his incomprehension.

"What!"

"I said, you stained my skirt with mud," Anna said, her eyes staring daggers at the bus driver.

"I don't care about your skirt, lady. You could stain your blouse too, for all I care," he was about to ascend the steps to the bus when he felt a hand pulling his shirt back. He looked over his shoulder and saw the girl gripping the edge of his white polo.

"What do ya want, lady! I don't have time for you, let me go!" he swung an arm at her, which she quickly dodged, almost effortlessly. He blinked in surprise. "What the-"

Anna's eyes were turning red in anger as her grip on the man's white polo tightened. "No one stains my skirt with mud, and walks away with it."

---

Moments later, Yoh was lucky enough to come out of the fight with just a black eye. All three decided to skip school because of the previous incidents. Anna was at her usual place in front of the television and Manta was busy treating Yoh's wound. Amidamaru revealed himself in spirit ball mode and sighed deeply.

"If you called me, Yoh-dono, this would not have happened. I'm sorry I failed you," he muttered regretfully.

Yoh looked up to him and forced a smile. "Oh come on, Amidamaru, I'm fine. It's just a little brui- ouch. Careful, Manta."

"Sorry," Manta smiled apologetically as he put the medicine kit aside. "Hey, I guess I better get going. I remembered that I had an English report due today. So, I'll see you later, okay?

"Sure. I'll see you later," Yoh called out as Manta went out the house. The moment Manta was gone, he laid on his back and sighed, contemplating the events that happened earlier. He was about to close his eyes when a shadow darkened over him and a dark green cloth was held over his face.

"W-What? What's this?" Yoh asked as he stood up and saw Anna holding the school skirt that she wore a while ago.

"Anna?"

Anna simply shoved the skirt onto his hands in reply.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Yoh asked as he met Anna's icy glare.

"It's not going to wash itself, Yoh," Anna replied in monotone, turning away from him and returning to her previous position in front of the television.

Yoh could only sigh in reply as he got up, ignoring the pain that he was feeling on the right part of his hip. He trudged out of the living room and into the bathroom to fill up a basin of water and grabbed the box of detergent.

The guardian spirit then presented himself in full mode and hovered beside his master.

"Yoh-dono," he began in a low tone as he watched his master put a spoonful of detergent in the basin and scrubbing the mess on Anna's skirt.

"Hm?" the shaman asked in reply, not bothering to look up from his laundry.

"Is there, by any chance, something wrong?" the spirit asked, uncertainly putting in his words.

"What do you mean, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, still not looking up from the skirt that he was washing. Unfortunately, the stain wasn't that easy to wash away so it had to take extra effort from him to scrub it off.

"I mean, with Anna-dono," the spirit continued. "Is there something wrong between you two?"

The question surely hit a nerve. Yoh had been keeping his feelings in wraps for too long and have been wanting to let it all out. Sighing, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm sick of her, Amidamaru. I don't think I can take her any longer."

* * *

A/N:

hey guys! this is my first attempt at writing in this section, so spare me a review... this thing is gonna go on for about two or four more chapters, so please bare with me, okay? credits to those who helped make this happen! ciao!

luv, say-chan


	2. Burn

Let me tell you a Story

by: say-chan

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Disclaimer: I still do not own Shaman King. Darn it. Haha. I'm updating quite often this time. Hey, that's cool. Credits to my Oneechan, still and to those who reviewed, thank you so much. I hope you guys like this chapter... So, nuff crap, more story! Please R&R, too! )

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Chapter Two : Burn

_ i really wanna work this out, but i don't think it's gonna change it, i do but you don't, think it's best that we go our separate ways... _

_---_

"I'm sick of her, Amidamaru. I don't think I can take her any longer."

Amidamaru then threw him a surprised look. The spirit opened his mouth to say something but he did not know what to say, at all. Horrified by the idea that his master seldom spoke out of turn like this, he might have preferred to keep quiet, but the growing curiosity in him just made him do otherwise.

"But Yoh-dono...", he began, his voice trailing away. He looked at his master who was still busy scrubbing Anna's skirt. It seemed that his master did not hear what he said, so he began once more.

"Yoh-dono..."

The young shaman looked up to him and he felt the atmosphere around them thicken. Amidamaru opened his mouth again but before he could speak, his master raised the skirt up to his face.

"Is the mud still noticeable?" he asked his guardian spirit. Amidamaru, in turn, sighed and shook his head in reply.

"No, Master," he said in a mere whisper as he bowed his head and disappeared.

Yoh then continued scrubbing the skirt to make it look better for Anna.

---

Amidamaru reappeared in spirit ball mode in the living room as he watched Anna. She was still lying there, unmoved from her position a while ago, still watching television and eating cookies.

He dared himself to speak to the itako, but to no avail. He was too scared of her and he did not know what to say, either. He was about to exit the room when the itako's voice froze him.

"What are you doing here, Amidamaru?"

He turned and saw the itako standing up, looking through him intently. He quickly changed into full mode and bowed his head to her.

"I am terribly sorry, Anna-dono. I didn't mean to-"

"Where's Yoh?" came her cold reply.

"He is still washing your skirt, Anna-dono," he replied as he almost melted under Anna's intense gaze.

"Tell him to get lunch ready when he finishes with his chores. Tell him that he also has to run 200 laps around the village and get the groceries before sun down, understood?"

"Yes, Anna-dono," he replied, bowing his head and exiting the room.

---

Amidamaru was then on his way back to his master, noticing the depletion of _love_ in the relationship that he was observing, and contemplating about it. He did not understand Anna. She was very complex for her to understand. Quite ironically, he did not understand his master, as well. He was naturally calm and composed when Anna gave her orders. But this time, however, was different from all the others.

When he finally did reach the bathroom, his master was not there anymore. Amidamaru frantically looked around for any sign of him, but the bathroom was nearly empty, except for the small basin of water and a bar of soap that lay beside it.

He appeared in Yoh's room but still did not find the shaman there. He went outside and saw the skirt moving with the breeze, but still no sign of his master. He looked up to the roof and finally spotted Yoh lying down in the sun's heat.

"Yoh-dono," he called as he flew up the roof and reached him.

"Yeah?", his master answered with a smile that Amidamaru knew was fake.

"I was looking for you everywhere, Yoh-dono," Amidamaru began.

"Does Anna have a new set of chores for me to do?" Yoh asked in an unusually cold tone.

"No, Master," the spirit replied almost instantly.

"Oh, I thought-", Yoh began and smiled, genuinely this time. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

"Uh," Amidamaru began. "Anna-dono was..."

Yoh's smile instantly faded as he stood up and sighed. "So, what is it this time? Clean the toilets?"

Amidamaru shook his head in negation. "No, Yoh-dono. She asked you to prepare lunch. Then, 200 laps around the village and get the groceries before sun down."

Yoh shrugged and made his way down the roof, saying nothing.

---

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Amidamaru looked back and forth, from the itako to the shaman, with a puzzled expression. He was surprised that neither of them was talking. He almost thought that Yoh had mixed some sort of poison on Anna's food, well, that was until Anna spoke. Then did he think that the idea was stupid. He knew very well that Yoh wouldn't do anything to Anna.

"Yoh," she began. Yoh simply looked up from what he was eating to show that he was listening.

"Pass me the salt," she continued. Yoh simply put his chopsticks down, went to the kitchen and returned a few minutes after, with a salt container at hand. He placed the container near Anna and sat down again, continuing his meal.

"When you're done with that-", Anna began, sprinkling salt in her soup bowl.

"I know," Yoh replied before she could even continue. Anna ignored the dismissal and finished the rest of her food quietly. So, did the shaman.

Amidamaru sighed and continued to watch the both of them with the same expression on his face. Anna was the first one to stand up from the table. Amidamaru followed her with his gaze until she was out of sight. He then returned to looking at his master and sighed once more.

"Yoh-dono," he began.

"Mm?", the shaman asked with a mouthful of food in his mouth.

"Are you still mad at Anna-dono?", Amidamaru continued as he watched Yoh drink water.

"I'm not mad at her, Amidamaru," Yoh smiled at him, and this time, Amidamaru was fooled by this smile. The spirit smiled in return as Yoh started to clear the table.

---

_I'm not mad at her, Amidamaru_

Yoh sighed deeply as he finished his 88'th lap of the day, thinking of the words he told his guardian spirit a while ago. He knew in his heart that he couldn't dare be mad at Anna. He just didn't know why, though.

_Only 112 more to go_, he told himself but the optimism did not spare the fatigue he was feeling. He felt like his hands and legs were going to fall off. He tried to regulate his breath but he couldn't do everything at the same time.

_Someone's gonna bring me home in pieces today_, he said, trying to humor himself, but to no avail. He was well aware of what he had to do and what was going to happen if he didn't do it.

_But if I don't finish this, Anna will be the one to put me in more pieces._

He sighed once more and asked himself rhetorically.

_Why am I with Anna, anyway? I'm not happy being with her. In fact, I'm not happy at all._

And this was true. He did not see any benefit from all the training that Anna was forcing him into. He did not understand why he had to go through this kind of torture. He knew in his heart that he could do it all by himself. he could be Shaman King if he wanted to.

But in his heart, he did not know if he really wanted to be the Shaman King. He began to doubt the idea because he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be with Anna forever since Anna came with the title.

_"If you become Shaman King, I'm going to be your Shaman Queen."_

He recalled Anna's statement back when they were young and sighed bitterly. He didn't know why he agreed to such. Maybe he did because he wanted to be Anna's friend. Maybe he did because he didn't have any friends before. Maybe he did because he thought Anna would understand him.

But he had many friends now. There were a lot of people who understood him. And on the contrary, all those things that he thought Anna was, wasn't Anna at all. She wasn't his friend because he couldn't tell her anything. Her domineering nature made him afraid of her. She did not understand him, at all.

Maybe he _didn't_ want to be with Anna?

He shook his head and sighed.

_108 more to go_, he told himself, changing the topic of his thoughts as he continued to jog around the village.

He was trying to clear his head of Anna, but to no avail. He really did not want to see her anymore. He did not want to go home to more chores and icy glares. Just once, he'd like Anna to smile and that would be enough for him to erase all the negative thoughts that he had for her.

_But what will happen to her if-?_ he sighed and dared not to finish the speculation. From the start, he really didn't know why he had to be with her.

He stopped in the middle of his lap as an idea formed in his head. Maybe if he couldn't answer all these questions, then someone else could. Someone who got him into this mess in the first place, legally that is.

He smiled as he continued the remainder the laps with a grin on his face.

---

"Anna," he said in a low tone in dinner that evening. Anna looked up to him and raised an eyebrow in return.

"What?", she asked coldly.

"Would you like to go to grandpa's on the weekend?" he asked. Anna put her rice bowl down to drink water and closed her eyes, deep in thought. Yoh simply watched her as she continued to think.

"Why do you want to go?" she asked.

Yoh shrugged. "I wanted to visit them," he put the lie in simply. He continued to watch her, but her expression did not change from what it was before. Anna opened her eyes and looked at Yoh, catching him off-guard.

"Sure," she replied, going back to her meal.

Yoh smiled in return as he continued eating as well. He wasn't used to lying to anyone, especially to Anna. But this was for the better. Somehow, he was going to get some answers.

---

_He's late, _she thought as she sighed. Of all the things she was supposed to worry about, she was worrying about something like this. Something like Yoh Asakura not saying good night to her.

She subconsciously waited for Yoh to come and say good night, but this didn't happen. Somehow, it bothered her. It also bothered her that it actually bothered her. She bit her lip and sighed, stood up. She had been sitting behind the door, waiting, for too long.

_Damn it. I'm an itako. Why does it bother me? It's just a good night_, she scolded herself mentally and walked out the door to get a glass of water.

She passed Yoh's bedroom on her way back and she couldn't resist the urge to look in and see if he was still awake. She was about to go for the handle, but she retracted her hand halfway and sighed.

"Good night, Yoh," her voice dropped to a mere whisper as she made her way to her own room.

Yoh turned to his side and smiled. "Good night, Anna," he whispered in return.

It has been like this all night. He couldn't sleep without wishing her good night. Something was very different about Anna- she had her ways to make him smile. The idea sort of soothed him right before he hit the sack.

Only she wasn't there to here it this time.

* * *

A/N:

hey guys! second chapter is finally up! haha... i write really quick these days, so here. bare with me, the plot isn't steady just yet... credits to those who helped make this happen and to all of you who reviewed! i really appreciate them. thanks for sparing the flames. please r&r, too. ciao!

luv, say-chan


	3. The Reason

Let me tell you a Story

by: say-chan

* * *

Disclaimer: Sorry for the long hiatus. But hey, this _is_ an update! So, yeah, credit is given to where it is due. Anyway, Shaman King is not mine, so please don't sue me. I'm just testing out its characters for my plot. So, there. Oh and by the way, the idea for this plot bunny was inspired by Hey Arnold, yes, a Nick show. Please R&R!

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Chapter Three : The Reason

_ I'm not a perfect person, there's many things I wish I didn't do... But I continue learning, I never meant to do those things to you... _

_---_

"Izumo?" Manta asked as he met Yoh outside his house that weekend. "Why are you going to Izumo?"

Yoh shrugged and grinned at him. "Nothing. I just want to see how grandpa and grandma are doing," he said, checking his bags for things that he needed to bring. He knew that his curious friend, Manta wouldn't stop at just that so he figured that getting Anna outside would make things less complicated for him to explain. At that particular moment, a lot of things were in his mind and he felt that he wasn't to be bothered by cynical details.

"Anna are you ready yet?"

Anna didn't answer. The sudden change in Yoh's behavior scared her, but the itako never showed signs of backing down to that fear. She kept telling herself that it was just another visit to Izumo, like any other visits, but that place gave her bad memories that she would never ever want to remember. The only few things that she liked about that place was the Asakura household- but why did going back to the only place she like make her feel a bit, well, ...scared?

She made her way slowly outside the red scarf of hers tied neatly like a bandanna on her head. She had a big beige bag slung on her shoulder that contained the few things that she needed. After she had moved away from the door, Yoh checked the lock form the outside and stuck the note that he made a while ago while Anna was getting dressed.

"We will be gone for about ten days. Do not deliver milk bottles or newspapers."

Manta said goodbye to them at the train station and made his way home quietly. He was sure something was up, he just couldn't place what. Something in Yoh just didn't make any sense to him. He knew that he didn't know Yoh that much to generalize, but something about him made everything seemed fake.

---

Anna leaned against one of the poles of the train near the door. Izumo was a couple of stops from there but she insisted on standing. Maybe it was because she didn't feel like sitting down. Why, perhaps? Maybe it was because she was still bothered by the whole idea of seeing Yoh's grandparents again... What was it that bothered her, exactly?

Yoh, on the other hand, was leaning against the pole opposite her. He figured that if Anna wouldn't sit down, neither would he. He was bopping his head to the beat that came from his tangerine earphones, his mood a bit lighter than yesterday's. His mind was set on canceling the engagement that was set before him, yes, that was what he was to do. Neither of them were helped by the binds, Anna was, a bit, but the whole thing was just a one-way process that he didn't think was fair. And like they say, all was fair in love and war... Or was it something else? At that same moment in time, he thought about what Anna could do for him- wait, what **did** Anna do for him?

His musings were cut short as more and more people piled up inside the train. It was quite impossible to sit now since people were almost everywhere. Anna looked up to Yoh and met his gaze before turning down. It was a very awkward situation- one wanted to know what the other was thinking, and vice versa, resulting to a jumble of emotions that both parties did not understand at all.

Both were never good with words, and apparently, they weren't good with relationships either. Yoh knew that he had screwed this one up, big time. But Anna wasn't a great help anyway, so maybe it was the reason why it fell apart. Nevertheless, the next stop came quickly than they suspected and more people came in.

Anna looked up to spy Yoh at the other end of the door. A lot of people were between them but the other knew what they had to do. Izumo was the next stop and somehow, their feelings fought in the pit of both of their stomachs, not knowing what exactly waited for them in the end.

---

"A-AATCHOO!"

"Yohmei, dear, have you made lunch already?" a voice came from one of the rooms in the Asakura compound. Inside, Kino Asakura was on the floor, eyes closed and meditating.

"Yes, dear, I am making it right now," came the answer from the kitchen as the infamous omyoji, Master Yohmei stood in front of a big boiling pot of stew.

"Well, make some for your silly grandson and his fiancée. He's coming over," Master Yohmei raised an eyebrow and wondered why her wife knew about this, but she left that for another time to question. He continued, adding more water and a few chopped vegetables to the stew. He held his nose as he sprinkled the pepper and sneezed a bit, moving away from the stew.

"And do take your medications. I don't want you going back to those stupid doctors again."

"Yes, dear."

---

A few moments later, Kino was right. Yoh and Anna were walking towards the compound just a few minutes before lunchtime. The sun was up Yoh had contemplated on not calling beforehand, but Anna assured her that his grandmother knew that they were coming. After paying respects to the Temple, they went straight for the Asakura compound, not finding Tamao and her spirits.

"They're off to train, young one, don't worry about her," came Master Yohmei's greeting at the door. "Welcome and come in. We have beef stew for lunch."

It still amazed Yoh that they knew that they were coming. Perhaps they knew why he was there, too? But that didn't matter. He had to talk to his grandfather about this mishap soon and he did mean soon. Somehow, he felt a bit sorry for Anna as well, but that was a matter to be thought of at another time.

They sat down to lunch quietly and began to eat. Both Anna and Kino ate silently while Master Yohmei and Yoh were exchanging a few stories. It was only a few months until the second round of the Shaman Tournament would start but Yoh couldn't bother passing off this burden for another time. As both couples finished, Anna accompanied Kino towards the Temple as they were to talk about Hao, and Yoh helped his grandfather with the dishes.

---

"Hey, grandpa," Yoh began in a speculative tone, looking over his shoulder to watch his grandfather scrub the dishes.

"You just scrub and rinse, scrub and rinse, Yoh, what exactly must be questioned about that?", he asked, not looking over his shoulder. After washing the dishes, he summoned a dish towel on his hand and started drying. Yoh did the same as well.

"No, it's not about washing the dishes, grandpa," he continued, looking back to the pot he was wiping. He didn't need to learn more about the pots and pans, he knew about washing them a long time ago. What he really needed to know was, well, was this engagement... supposed to happen? Or was this something that should be stopped before it made further damage? "It's about, well, it's about something more than that."

"We'll talk about that something after we're done with the dishes."

---

Yoh sat down quietly on a room that he didn't know existed in the house. It was a big room, covered with portraits, pictures and historical artifacts that he wouldn't dream of even seeing. It was hard to tell his grandfather that it was his fiancée that bothered him, but like washing the dishes and scraping the leaves from the gardens- it had to be done.

Master Yohmei took a while before he found what he was looking for. A thick, dusty book that obviously hadn't been opened in many years. He moved towards where Yoh was seated and sat down in front of him, setting the book aside. "Now, Yoh, tell me about what exactly is bothering you."

"Well, It's like this," he began.

---

"Anna, fetch me the ceremonial fan, please," Kino asked. They were alone in the temple, meditating. Anna couldn't concentrate- her mind was lost in other thoughts- thoughts concerning Yoh. She stood up slowly and moved to the back of the temple to take hold of the fan she was asked for and brought it back to the temple. Kino smiled and received it once it was given to her, beckoning Anna to sit back down.

"Clear your thoughts, young one," Kino nodded and then closed her eyes with the fan in her hand.

Anna, however, found it very hard to clear her thoughts. She closed her eyes as well, bringing her hands to her chest, trying not to think of the sudden awkwardness of Yoh towards her. But that didn't matter as of now, did it?

---

Master Yohmei chucked in amusement as the young shaman continued his story of how Anna made him run 500 laps around the village before sundown, get into a fight with a bus driver and wash her dirty school uniform all in one week. He couldn't help but remember how all these things happened similarly to him a few years back, but he wouldn't tell that to Yoh at this time, not until he was still complaining how hard it was not to use bleach on a plaid skirt- this was too amusing to be stopped at the moment.

Once he was done, however, Master Yohmei could only smile at him. Yoh was a bit taken aback by the smile. Was his antics and complaints too shallow to be taken seriously? Did those things have to be done in order for him to be a bit more disciplined? Did his grandfather prefer to have his grandson be tortured by the cold itako?

"Well?", Yoh asked, a little impatient as he watched his grandfather sipped a cup of hot tea.

"So you want to cancel the wedding arrangement?", Master Yohmei asked with a grin on his face. "Perhaps I should tell you a story to lighten your mood up a bit and maybe change your mind on what you think about Anna?"

"What? What do you mean, grandpa? Stop talking telegraph. You know that those weird mind-teasers of yours don't work well on me," he said, shaking his head. He would give up everything to stop his grandfather from talking like a fortune cookie.

"Well, I want you to take a good look at this," Master Yohmei smiled and slid the old book across the floor towards Yoh. Yoh raised an eyebrow, looking back down to the book and tilting his head curiously.

"What is this, grandpa?", he asked, looking up to him in question. He didn't understand. What did a small book contain that could change his mind about Anna?

---

"Are you sure you are ready for this, Anna?"

A nod was Anna's reply. The Sealing Ritual that she would be using for Hao in the end would need a bit of training and more concentration that Anna already had. She had to undergo the same torturous tunnel that Yoh had to go through so that she could be a bit more stronger.

She was determined that she could do it. But she felt a little hesitant about the idea. Maybe it was because Yoh barely made it alive in there- but she had to do it as well. If they were to destroy Hao in the end, she had to be strong for Yoh.

Yes, _for Yoh_. She would do this f_or Yoh_.

"Remember, you do not have to reach the end of the tunnel. I am only giving you a day and a half inside, just to test the amount of mental energy you already have. If you are not back by then, do not panic. You will find your way back, Anna. I have faith in you."

Faith? What was faith? Maybe it was the feeling that Yoh would still stand up after a big blow, the feeling that Yoh would still win for her, the feeling that Yoh would fulfill his promise and become the Shaman King, the feeling that Yoh would come for her late at night to wish her Good Night...

Yes, that was faith. She had faith in Yoh and now she had to invoke the same faith unto herself. She took in a deep breath and undid her bandanna, placing it beside the tunnel and not saying a word. She stepped inside and the darkness overcame her, and soon, her senses were impaired.

---

Yoh had no idea what was happening. He didn't have the chance to say Good Night to Anna that night, but that didn't matter, or did it? What really bothered him was the content of that book. He reached for it slowly and opened it, staring at the calligraphy on the front page.

"Asakura & Mikuhana", he slowly read, running his fingers over the old page and smiling to himself. Whoever this book belonged to was a little bit obsessed with detail, kind of like Anna...

He looked over to the sky and wondered if she was alright. He just couldn't sleep just thinking of the idea that he wasn't there to wish her Sweet Dreams... or at least talk to her. He felt a bit bad on what happened to their relationship, or was there a relationship at all? Whatever it was, he was a bit sad that it had to end that quickly... He didn't want it to happen that way.

Turning to the next page, a silver, unkempt locket was held on the page. Yoh picked it up slowly and examined it. "Y&K" was engraved at the front of the heart, but Yoh wasn't keen enough to guess who it really belonged to. He turned another page and it began with a photograph of a girl with short, blonde hair, tied back into a half-ponytail. She was turned aside, away from the camera but her eyes glared at whoever was taking the picture. Come to think of it, the picture reminded him so much of...

_Anna..._

* * *

A/N:

hey guys! so sorry to have left you hanging on the third chapter. i had to do some college crap, so please do forgive me. anyway, let's hope my schedule this term agrees with this story of mine. see you next chapter! please r&r! ciao!

luv, say-chan


	4. Sorry Guys TAT

OMG; I didn't realize people are waiting on this story. I have the final two chapters sitting unfinished on my laptop-- and I'm gonna get straight on it-- I PROMISE! I'm going to perhaps edit it into a better version, too. 3

For anything; email me at: ; Thanks for the support and love!

Sorry guys; and I love you all.

xox; saychan


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